Why so many Community bumps? Can/should it be changed?

Question

I know this has been asked before, but I wonder if there is something that can/should/could be done about it. I see a LOT of Community bumps bringing up old messages. I checked a minute ago - 21 out of 48 messages on the DIY home page. The same messages keep coming up over & over again.

I don't see this as much in other parts of StackExchange. Is this something where different communities have different configuration parameters? If so, can/should it be adjusted for DIY? Or is this something where DIY just somehow ends up with a lot more of these old never-quite-done questions?

The answer by @ChrisF is pretty much what I expected. The problem is that (a) it seems to be much worse on DIY than other sites, and I would like to see if there is anything that can be done about that (whether that is instructing users or changing configuration parameters) and (b) a lot of times there are reasons why I can't upvote (answer is vague or incomplete), provide a good answer (question very often needs clarification/more details), edit the question (the questions are often good questions but just don't provide enough details) or vote/close off-topic (because that is usually not the case - the off-topic questions actually get taken care of pretty quickly).

Some specifics based on "right now" (Sunday 11/11/2018 10:16am EST):

Fans/lights switches can be turned on/off from different locations - Need more details from OP.

Goodman gas furnace limit switch opening, blower only runs with a/c - Troubleshooting going on in comments, seems to have just "stopped" and really can't continue with answers (existing answer is a good guess but looks like it is not the real solution) without more details.

Wiring Baystat240a to Honeywell RTH2510 w/ picture - I upvoted.

Alternatives to conventional weep screed, for stucco to the ground homes? - I upvoted.

What size wire should I use to add an outlet to a light circuit? - I added a, hopefully better, answer.

Why don't I have power after an outlet was shorted? - Short answer that, combined with the comments, covers the likely issues. But really waiting on more info. from OP.

Can I place a Booster Pump after Pressure Tank and before my water softener - Comments on an answer sound like they resolve the problem, but answer wasn't revised (and it is a topic I know nothing about so not doing that myself) and OP didn't upvote.

Adding a bulkhead to a framed/stud wall - Conversation in comments to an answer that seems to have stopped.

Why would my microwave continually rotate when connected to a voltage stabilizer which is also used for a refrigerator? - Waiting on more details from OP.

Installed new bath faucet. No cold water comes out - Answer seems to have resolved the problem so I upvoted.

What is causing earth leakage? - Answer sounds good to me so I upvoted.

There are more on the home page. Not enough time to go through them all right now.

The typical situation seems to be:

• New contributor with very little activity - typically shows, even months later, reputation of 11 or less, or occasionally 101 if they came from elsewhere in SE.

• Either no response to comments asking for more details, or a short string of Q&A followed by "nothing".

• Often an answer that is a bit vague or incomplete because the question is vague.

Is there anything that can be done? Any way to remind OP that a question does not have an accepted answer (I know that such messages might be ignored, but just a thought)?

I'm trying to knock down some of the Community bumps. But there are quite a few where I either don't know enough to realistically upvote an answer, or where I know enough to know that the existing answers just really aren't that good. On the other hand, I am now finding some other sites are having the same problem - I just didn't notice it before.

Answer 1

Community bumps questions that have no upvoted answers. The rationale behind this is that the question hasn't been satisfactorily answered yet so it needs more attention

The way to stop the question being bumped is therefore:

1. Upvote any existing answers - assuming they deserve upvoting is course.
2. Provide a good answer that someone else might upvote.
3. Edit the question to improve it so that it's worth someone else answering.
4. Vote/flag to close if you think it's off topic.

Obviously, which action you take will depend on the question.

Answer 2

One reason for a bump may very well be the editing process. This was pointed out to me on another site and a moderator didn't even know editing caused it.

If someone includes an image in a post they are shown the highlighted text [place description here] Nearly everyone doesn't. That description is added to the HTML code that no one sees behind the scenes. I have taken on the task of going through all the posts with images that are missing descriptions and adding them. This edit apparently bumps it to the top of a review queue.

The purpose of ALT (alternate) image tags is for systems that can not show images, for the people using screen readers (such as the blind and visually impaired) and is necessary in the case of slow connections you aren't left with the broken image icon not knowing what you should be seeing.

I want to inform others (especially moderators and reviewers) of this process so they can become more familiar with what is happening, and what I am doing. And will be adding insights in a future post.